Throughout history, humans have found ways to turn animals into unwilling participants in cruel spectacles. From cockfighting in royal palaces to fox-tossing on aristocratic estates, the past is littered with disturbing examples of Animal Cruelty disguised as entertainment. In an era before modern ethics, animal welfare laws, or even widespread compassion for other species, blood sports were celebrated events that drew crowds from every corner of society. This instalment of The WORST of History explores some of the most shocking and barbaric pastimes ever recorded – and the long, slow journey to ending them.
Cockfights
For over 2,000 years, cockfighting was the national sport of England, with cockpits even in the Palaces of Westminster and Downing Street.
In St Albans, Hertfordshire, the pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks claims to be the oldest in England – and its name refers to the cockfighting matches once held there. In these events, the birds’ feet were tied to razor-sharp blades called “gaffs”, about three inches long and resembling curved ice picks.
Cockfighting was especially popular among the lower classes, and is even mentioned in the Kama Sutra. On Shrove Tuesday, for a “cockpenny”, students could bring game cocks to fight. A quotation from the time reads: “A good cocker would think nothing of cleaning his cock’s wounded head by sticking it into his mouth and sucking it clean.”
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, other cruel cock-related “sports” also emerged. “Cock tossing” involved tying a cock in place and throwing weighted sticks at it until it died. This became popular during anti-French sentiment, as the cock was a symbol of France. In Bristol, Puritan officials banned it, sparking a riot.
Other Animal Blood Sports
Goose pulling was among the cruellest sports of the past. A goose’s head was oiled and tied three metres (10 feet) in the air. Riders on horseback would then try to tear off the bird’s head – the oil making it even harder. The practice survives today in Germany and Belgium, though the goose is now dead or replaced by a replica.
In Soho, London, The Dog and Duck pub takes its name from “duck-baiting”, in which ducks with bound wings were thrown into a pond before being attacked by a pack of dogs.
Fox-tossing, popular among aristocrats, used sheets or slings to hurl foxes into the air – some as high as 7.5 metres (25 feet). This extreme form of Animal Cruelty caused obvious harm, and even in 1919, sporting writer William Baillie-Grohman warned against using wild cats, noting they clung to the slings and lashed out with teeth and claws.
Bear-baiting, donkey-baiting, and even lion-baiting were common. In these, the larger animal was chained to a stake by its limbs or neck and attacked by dogs. Queen Victoria reportedly enjoyed bear-baiting so much she overruled a ban on Sundays. Shakespeare even references a famous bear, Sackerson, in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Rat-Baiting and Octopus Wrestling
Rat-baiting involved betting on how long it would take a dog to kill a set number of rats in an enclosed arena. Victorian rat-catcher Jack Black (not the actor) supplied the animals, and one bull terrier named Billy famously killed 100 rats in five and a half minutes.
James Day once described the scene: “You went down a rotten wooden stair and entered a large, underground cellar… full of smoke, stench of rats, dogs, and dirty human beings… Gas lights illuminated the centre of the cellar, a ring enclosed by wood barriers similar to a small Roman circus arena.”
The sport continued into the 20th century and was only banned due to concerns for the dogs’ safety – not for the rats.
Even stranger, Animal Cruelty extended to octopus wrestling in the 1960s. In Puget Sound, Washington, competitors would drag octopuses from the water – an event so popular it was televised. O’Rouke, the self-styled “Father of Octopus Wrestling”, was a leading figure. A 1964 True magazine article noted: “It is impossible for a man with two arms to apply a full nelson on an octopus; he knew full well the futility of trying for a crotch hold on an opponent with eight crotches.”
Cultural Decline in the UK
Even in their heyday, these spectacles had critics. Scholar Stephen Dickey called them a “carnival of cruelty”, while diarist and Royal Society founder John Evelyn dismissed them as “rude and dirty pastime[s]” involving “barbarous cruelties”.
By the 18th century, blood sports were declining as social attitudes shifted. The final blow came with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, formally titled An Act to Consolidate and Amend the Several Laws Relating to the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Animals…. The group now known as the RSPCA lobbied heavily for the bill, introduced by Quaker Joseph Pease.
Epilogue
Cruelty to animals for “entertainment” is now rightly seen as deeply disturbing. The idea of pitting helpless creatures against vicious opponents – often to the death – is no longer accepted in most of the civilised world.
However, some forms of Animal Cruelty persist. Pheasant shooting remains a popular pastime among Britain’s upper classes, and bullfighting – where bulls are provoked, injured, and often killed – is still legal in Spain, Portugal, parts of southern France, and much of South America.
While modern laws and public opinion have consigned most animal blood sports to history, it is vital to remain vigilant. The lesson from the past is clear: animals should never again be needlessly killed for the depraved thrill of a crowd.